Warming panel

ABSTRACT

In a warming panel of a construction, wherein liquid for a heat insulating layer (3) is injected into an interior space of an outer shell structure (8) of a hollow planar construction, there is provided a buffer plate (13) or a flow guide plate (20) in the interior of the abovementioned outer shell structure (8), where the abovementioned liquid to be injected is impinged, to thereby restrict the flowing direction of the liquid as injected so as to make it possible to prevent the high pressure injected liquid from impinging on those fixed parts (6) provided in the outer shell structure (8) or those connected portions (1B) of the outer shell structure, thus avoiding unnecessary shifting of the fixed parts (6), or deformation or damage of the connected portions of the outer shell structure (8).

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 672,243,filed Nov. 2, 1984, now abandoned.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is concerned with a warming panel provided in itsinterior with a heat insulating layer formed by injecting liquid ofurethane foam, or the like.

BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY

In general, various panels such as floor warming panel, etc. have so farbeen manufactured by injecting liquid of a heat insulating material suchas urethane foam, etc. into an outer shell structure interior in ahollow planar shape with conduit tube for passing heating medium throughit being arranged, thereby forming an integral heat insulating layer.However, in injecting liquid of the heat insulating material such asurethane foam, etc. into the outer shell structure, the liquid runningat a high speed collides with the outer shell structure, which tends tocause displacement of those fixed parts such as stud nuts which havebeen tentatively secured at positions inside the outer shell structure,where they meet the gushing liquid of the insulating material, orbreakage and damage to those joined portions at such colliding positionswith the consequent high rate of yield of disqualified product.

Similarly, in the injection into the outer shell structure of the liquidsuch as urethane foam, etc., the liquid running at a high speed collideswith the inner wall of the outer shell structure opposite to theinjection port from the direction substantially perpendicular to it, onaccount of which the liquid in the outer shell structure takes a randomflowing direction to cause, in most cases, unfilled portion, i.e., moldcavity to be created at the center part of the outer shell structurewhich is structurally unstable with the consequent high rate of yield ofdisqualified product.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a warmingpanel which is substantially free from displacement of the fixed parts,and damage or deformation of the joined portions.

It is the secondary object of the present invention to provide a floorwarming panel which is able to control the charging direction of theliquid, and to leave the unfilled portion at a location in the outershell structure having no structural vulnerability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One of the characteristics of the present invention resides in theprovision of a buffer member in the outer shell structure, whichprevents the liquid from directly colliding with the fixed parts andjoined portions, in such a manner that it may be oppositely positionedto the charging port of the heat insulating liquid, thereby making itpossible to prevent displacement of the fixed parts, or damage ordeformation of the joined portions, to be resulted from injection of theliquid under high pressure, and thereby reducing production ofdisqualified product.

Another characteristic of the present invention resides in the provisionof a flow guide plate, which restricts the flowing direction of theliquid being injected at a high speed into the outer shell structure, insuch a manner that the ultimate charged portion may come to the side ofa predetermined end face of the outer shell structure, thereby making itpossible to prevent displacement of the fixed parts, or damage ordeformation of the joined portions to be brought about by collision ofliquid by its injection, thereby making it possible that no unfilledportion of the injection liquid may be formed at the center part of theouter shell structure which is structurally unstable, and thereby makingit possible to reduce remarkably a rate of yield of disqualifiedproduct.

BRIEF EXPLANATIONS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the warming panelto be an object of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a structure of the outer shellstructure;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a state of settingthe outer shell structure in an injection press mold prior to injectionof the liquid;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of flow of the liquidat the time of its injection;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along a line V--V inFIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a floor warming panel, which showsanother embodiment of the warming panel according to the presentinvention; and

FIGS. 7 and 8 are respectively explanatory diagrams of the floor warmingpanel, which show still other embodiments of the present invention.

THE BEST MODE TO PRACTISE THE INVENTION

In the following, the present invention will be explained in detail withreference to preferred embodiments thereof, taking a floor warming panelas an example. FIGS. 1 through 5 illustrate the floor warming panel toattain the primary object of the present invention as described in theforegoing. In the drawing, the floor warming panel (P) as one embodimentof the present invention is in a planar shape, and has such a structurethat a heat insulating layer (3) of hard urethane foam, etc. is formedby charging it in a space between a front surface plate (1) made of asheet metal and a rear surface plate (2) made of a sheet metal or anappropriate heat insulating board. A conduit tube (4) for heat mediumsuch as heated water or freon gas, etc. is formed of copper or plasticmaterial, the entire portion of which is embedded in the heat insulatinglayer (3), except for its connecting ends (4a), as shown in FIG. 1.Those adjacent corner portions on the outer surface side of the frontsurface plates (1) are so designed that they can be connected with atriangular connecting plate (5) which covers the two floor warmingpanels (P) in a manner to be screw-fitted from the outer surface sides.This screw-fitting of the connecting plate (5) is done by screwing of atightening screw (7) into a stud nut (6), as one example of the fixedpart as embedded in the interior of the front surface plate. Also, aflange (lA) is formed by bending the surrounding edges of the frontsurface plate (1) at the right angle, the adjacent ends (lC) of whichare merely abutted.

By the way, the floor warming panel (P) as mentioned above is placed onthe floor surface of a building in such a manner that the front surfaceplate (1) may face upward. And then, by circulating a heat medium suchas, for example, a high temperature water into the interior of theconduit tube (4) from one end of it, the heat of the warm water isdischarged through the front surface plate (1) to effect the floorwarming.

The floor warming panel (P) of such construction is generallymanufactured by arranging and fixing the conduit tube (4) in a tortuousform on the inner surface side of the front surface plate (1), followedby fitting thereto the rear surface plate (2) to form an outer shellstructure (8) of a hollow planar construction as a whole, then injectingliquid of the heat insulating material such as urethane foam, etc. at ahigh speed into the interior space of the outer shell structure (8) tofill by its foaming action the space between the front surface plate (1)and the rear surface plate (2), thereby forming the stabilized heatinsulating layer (3) of urethane foam, etc. within the outer shellstructure (8) enclosing the conduit tube (4). The panel as one exampleof application of the present invention is basically manufactured byfollowing the above-described production steps. In more detail, theconduit tube (4) is secured in such tortuous form by use of a fixingmeans such as aluminum tape (9) on the inner surface side of the frontsurface plate (1) with the flanges (1A), on which the rear surface plate(2) is to be abutted, being formed by integrally bending its surroundingedge portions from the lateral side, and then the stud nut (6) to be acounter-part of the tightening screw (7) to be screwed in for fixing thetriangular connecting plate (5) is fitted into a polygonal hole (10)formed in the corner part at two portions of the front surface plateexcept for the lead-out portions of the connecting end (4a) of theconduit tube (4), and adapted to the shape of the stud nut (6) such ashexagonal shape, etc., the nut being fitted thereinto from the backsurface side and fixed tentatively.

In the next place, the rear surface plate (2) is mounted on the flanges(1A) at the back of this front surface plate (1) in registrationtherewith, while maintaining an appropriate assembling relationshipbetween the front surface plate (1) and the rear surface plate (2) bymeans of a fixing tape (11), etc., thereby forming the outer shellstructure (8) of a hollow planar construction with the conduit tube (4)being provided in its interior.

The outer shell structure (8) has a charging port (12) formed in advanceat its one part near the corner where the connecting plate (5) isattached to one surface side thereof, and it has a buffer material (13)made of soft urethane foam, etc. mounted at its another corner oppositeto the charging port (12) in a manner to cover the front side of thestud nut (6) which has been tentatively secured in the polygonal hole(10), i.e., the side of the charging port (12). Thus, the floor warmingpanel (P) can be completed, as shown in FIG. 3, by setting the outershell structure (8) in a space between the upper mold (14) and the lowermold (15) of a press mold for injecting the insulating material with therear surface plate (2) facing upward and with spacers (16) of aluminumor iron being positioned between the upper and lower molds, thenlowering the upper mold (14) in the direction shown by an arrow mark,followed by connecting an injection nozzle (17) of a high pressureinjector (not shown in the drawing) with the charging port (12) in astate of the entire circumference and both upper and lower surfaces ofthe outer shell structure being confined in the press mold, andinjecting the liquid of hard urethane foam, etc. at a high speed andunder a charging pressure of, for example, 100 kg/cm², into the outershell structure (8) to cause the same to foam within it, thereby formingthe integral layer of the heat insulating material having the rigiditythroughout the structure. Incidentally, the pressure at the time of thefoaming is 2 kg/cm² in this embodiment.

At the formation of the heat insulating layer (3), fairly vigorousimpact force is applied to the portion of the outer shell structurewhere the injected liquid directly impinges. In the case of the presentembodiment, however, the buffer material (13) is provided at the portionwhere the liquid is impinged, whereby, even if any connected portionssuch as, for example, an abutting portion (1B) between the flanges (1A)and (1A) of the front surface plate (1), or the stud nut (6), arepositioned at that portion, they will not be deformed, damaged, ordisplaced by collision of the liquid thereto. Hence there issubstantially no possibility of disqualified product being yielded bysuch cause. Further, since the buffer material (13) absorbs the liquidand does not interfere with the circumventing liquid, the formation ofthe heat insulating layer (3) in the outer shell structure (8) can beeffected as has been done so far, whereby the buffer material (13) andthe heat insulating layer (3) are ultimately brought to an integral andinseparable whole.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment to attain the above-mentionedsecond object of the present invention. In the drawing, the outer shellstructure (not shown in the drawing) same as that of the precedingembodiment has the charging port (12) formed in the vicinity of thecorner part where the connecting plate is mounted to one side partthereof, and a flow guide plate (20) in a curved form to direct theliquid injected from the charging port (12) to the center of the outershell structure interior as well as to the diagonal direction of thecharging port (12) thereof is fixed by means of a tape, etc. at themiddle part between the charging port (12) and the corner part oppositeto it in a manner to be aslant with respect to the inner surface of theouter shell structure. By the way, the flow guide plate (20) is made ofa material such as, for example, metal and plastic materials. The otherconstruction than that as mentioned above is identical with that shownin FIGS. 1 through 5; hence the explanations thereof will be dispensedwith.

As the consequence of this, even in this embodiment, the warming panel(P) can be completed in the same manner as the embodiment shown in FIGS.1 through 5 by connecting the injection nozzle (17) of the high pressureinjector (not shown in the drawing) with the charging port (12), andinjecting the liquid of urethane foam, etc. at a high speed into theouter shell structure to cause it to foam in its interior to therebyform the integral heat insulating layer (3). At the time of forming theheat insulating layer (3), there is applied a fairly vigorous impactforce onto the portion where the liquid immediately after its injectionis impinged. In the case of this embodiment, however, the portion wherethe liquid is impinged has the flow guide plate (20), and no connectedportions or stud nut (6) of the outer shell structure are provided.Thus, not only is there no possibility of such connected portions orstud nut being deformed, damaged, or displaced by collision thereto ofthe liquid, but also the flowing direction of the injected liquid withinthe outer shell structure is restricted by the flow guide plate (20) andthere is no possibility of the liquid moving around the circumferentialportion of the outer shell structure. On account of this, unfilledportion, i.e., mold cavity, is not formed at the center part of theouter shell structure, i.e., the front surface plate (1) which isstructurally unstable, or, even if such mold cavity is created, it willbe formed at a particular location (21) to the side of the end surfaceof the outer shell structure where no structural problem is present.Accordingly, a rate of yield of disqualified product due to theabovementioned cause becomes remarkably reduced.

As is apparent from the foregoing two embodiments, the first embodimentof the present invention provides the buffer material to prevent theliquid from directly impinging on the fixed parts or connected portionson the outer shell structure in a manner to be opposite to the chargingport of the liquid of the heat insulating material, whereby displacementof the fixed parts, or damage or deformation of the connected portionsto be brought about by collision thereto of the liquid with itsinjection under a high pressure can be well prevented, and theproduction of disqualified product can be effectively reduced.

Further, the second embodiment of the present invention provides, in theouter shell structure, the flow guide plate which restrains the flowingdirection of the injected liquid at a high speed in such a manner thatthe ultimate charging portion thereof may come to a predetermined endsurface side of the outer shell structure. With such member, therefore,the displacement in the fixed parts, or damage or deformation of theconnected portions to be brought about by collision thereto of theliquid accompanied by its injection can be well prevented. Moreover, theunfilled portion of the injected liquid can be formed not at the centerpart of the outer shell structure which is structurally unstable,whereby a rate of yield of disqualified product can be effectivelyreduced to a remarkable extent.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate still other embodiments of the presentinvention. These two embodiments respectively adopt the concept of theafore-described first and second embodiments of the present invention.

That is to say, the characteristic of these two embodiments are suchthat, in order to prevent the charging liquid from directly impinging onthe stud nut (6) as one of the fixed parts and the connected portion(1B), etc. as well as to restrain the flowing direction of the chargingliquid, the buffer material (13) as mentioned in reference to FIGS. 1through 5 is overlayed on one side surface of the flow guide plate (20)to thereby form an integral guide member (30).

These embodiments provide the same function and resulting effect asthose already mentioned with respect to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1through 6, and can simultaneously satisfy restriction of the flowingdirection of the charging liquid and buffering thereof by the singleguide member (30) by integral combination of the buffer plate (13) andthe flow guide plate (20), which are therefore preferable from theaspects of reducing the number of constituent parts and ease inmanufacture of the panel.

By the way, it is apparent that, in these embodiments, the buffermaterial (13) and the flow guide plate (20) are not necessarily madeintegral.

What is claimed:
 1. Intermediate structure for use in forming aninsulated warming panel, said intermediate structure comprising:(a) anouter shell structure of a hollow planar construction, said outer shellstructure comprising a front surface plate, a rear surface plate, and aplurality of side walls extending between said front surface plate andsaid rear surface plate; (b) a conduit tube for passing heat mediumtherethrough disposed in the interior of said outer shell structure; (c)a charging port for heat insulating material which is liquid whencharged, said charging port extending from the exterior to a volume inthe interior of said outer shell structure in which the heat insulatingmaterial is initially received, said charging port extending through afirst one of said plurality of side walls and defining the initial flowpath of the heat insulating material into the interior of said outershell structure; and (d) a flow guide plate disposed in the interior ofsaid outer shell structure in the initial flow path of the heatinsulating material into the interior of said outer shell structure,said flow guide plate:(i) defining one boundary of said volume; (ii)projecting from a second one of said plurality of side walls andextending toward a third one of said plurality of said walls opposite tosaid second one of said plurality of side walls by a distance that issmall relative to the distance between said second and third side walls;and (iii) being sized, shaped, and positioned so that, when a liquidheat insulating material is charged into the interior of said outershell structure through said charging port, it impinges upon said flowguide plate and is redirected thereby before it strikes the innersurface of said outer shell structure opposite said charging port. 2.Intermediate structure as recited in claim 1 wherein said flow guideplate is mounted on an inner wall of the interior of said outer shellstructure and projects inwardly from said inner wall.
 3. Intermediatestructure as recited in claim 1 wherein:(a) the interior of said outerwall structure is polygonal in plan view and (b) said flow guide plateprojects inwardly from one wall of the interior of said outer shellstructure.
 4. Intermediate structure as recited in claim 1 wherein saidfront and rear surface plates and said plurality of side walls of saidouter shell structure forms:(a) a first component in the shape of anopen-faced parallelepipedal box and (b) a second component in the shapeof a planar cover which closes the open face of said open-facedparallelepipedal box.
 5. Intermediate structure as recited in claim 1and further comprising a resilient buffer piece disposed in the interiorof said outer shell structure, said resilient buffer piece makingsurface contact with the side of said flow guide plate opposite to theside against which the liquid heat insulating material impinges andproviding support thereto.
 6. Intermediate structure as recited in claim5 wherein said resilient buffer piece extends between said flow guideplate and an inner wall of said outer shell structure which is oppositeto said charging port.
 7. Intermediate structure as recited in claim 1,wherein said plurality of side walls define a rectangle.
 8. Intermediatestructure as recited in claim 1, wherein:(a) said charging port islocated in close proximity to said second one of said plurality of sidewalls and (b) the initial flow path of the heat insulating material intothe interior of said outer shell structure is at least approximatelyparallel to said second one of said plurality of side walls.